Induction hob or gas hob?

In the process of designing a custom kitchen, our mission is to find out how the new kitchen will be used, and the main goal is to develop the best cooking experience.

Although the cooking stove, respectively the gas hob, is the first and most conventional choice, the induction hob is becoming an increasingly popular choice for the home kitchen.

Whatever your choice may be, based on your lifestyle and cooking experience, there are pros and cons that need to be considered. We recommend the induction hob, both for technical performance and aesthetics – an induction hob built into the worktop looks great, but we also appreciate the method of cooking with fire, excellent for certain cooking techniques.

Let’s see how we can navigate in this very diverse field of cooking technology, so you can make an informed decision for the new kitchen.

Hot to mention

We have intentionally omitted from this comparative analysis the option for vitroceramic electric hobs, we consider them technically outdated. The electric hob works as a type of hot plate: under the glass-ceramic surface, the hob hides spiral metal elements that heat up under the action of electricity at the temperatures required for cooking.

The spirals heat the dishes placed on the glass-ceramic surface to make it possible to cook the food. Due to the operating mode, the metal elements heat up and cool intermittently, and the control over the cooking temperature becomes inaccurate.

We will thus focus on the most efficient solutions, gas hobs and induction hobs.

Gas hobs

How do they work?

The gas hob is the most common method for cooking in Romania, and many people prefer this type of approach – the use of fire to prepare food.

There is a kind of „ancestral” pleasure when a spark or flame ignites the gas burner when you control the intensity of the flame when you handle a pan over the scorching fire and hear the click of metal on metal.

Probably many chefs will recommend this method as almost „sacred” – first people discovered fire, then the induction – given that in a professional kitchen the criteria for cooking is very specific, yet the induction hob is gaining increased applicability, even in professional kitchens.

PROs

CONs

Induction hobs

How do they work?

An induction hob is a modern, intelligent, and energy-efficient cooking tool. The hob creates a high-frequency magnetic field through a coil powered by an electrical circuit.

Electromagnetic waves come into contact with the base of a special cooking vessel (made of ferromagnetic material) and create a circular current that generates heat at the base of the vessel, heat that is transferred to the contents of the cooking vessel, and the glass-ceramic surface of the hob remains cold where not is in contact with the vessel.

The advantage of an induction hob is that all the heat generated is transferred to the ferromagnetic vessel and its interior, and the heat losses are very small, below 10%.

When opting for an induction hob, you should consider purchasing compatible cookware made of ferromagnetic material, but most cookware made in the last 10 years is compatible with induction, including lava or ceramic cookware.

PROs

CONs

Conclusion

Our verdict is that the induction hob is the most efficient cooking solution due to its superior advantages to the gas hob. This fact is proven in practice and confirmed by all our customers who have opted for induction hobs.

However, there are also situations in which a gas hob is required (see the kitchen project for chefs Alex and Laura), due to the owners’ preference for particular cooking techniques.

Let’s find out what works best for you:

During the kitchen design consulting sessions, we can help you define the ideal way to work in the kitchen so you can choose the perfect solution for you.